Tag - wat khao rup chang

Located roughly 345 kilometres north of Bangkok, Phichit is known as the land of the crocodiles. In the past, this area was home to a large number of ferocious land crocodiles and now contains several fresh-water crocodile farms.

There are many interesting sites to explore in Phichit and many visitors find it necessary to extend their stay by several days in order to see everything. A great way to explore is to hire a motorbike or bicycle and cycle through the province at your own pace, noting the scenery and interesting architecture.

If you are interested in history, pay a visit to Utthayan Mueang Kao Pichit, which is a large park with an ancient town dating back more than 900 years. Most of the structures were built during the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods and the old town is surrounded by city walls and moats. In the town centre is Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat with its large bell-shaped chedi, containing numerous votive tablets.

Another site of historical and cultural interest is Ku Mahathat, where you can see ancient Khmer ruins, whilst Bung Si Fai is a large fresh-water lake to the south of town. There is a pretty landscaped park along the banks of the lake, which is a good place for a picnic. There is an aquarium on the other side of the park, which contains species of native fish and local fishing equipment.

There are a large number of interesting temples in Phichit. Among the best are Wat Pho Prathap Chang with its bronze Buddha statue, Wat Tha Luang and the extremely beautiful Wat Nakhon Chum.

Wat Bang Khlan was once the resident temple of the highly revered monk Luang Pho Ngoen and many people visit the temple in order to pay homage to a statue of Luang Pho Ngoen. Worth visiting is the Chai Bowon Museum inside the temple, which displays ancient items such as votive tablets, Buddha statues and earthenware. It is open every Saturday and Sunday.

Another interesting temple is Wat Khao Rup Chang, which is located along the Phichit-Taphan Hin road, 15 kilometres from town. On the hilltop is an old, Ayutthaya-style Chedi built from bricks. There is also a Mondop featuring interesting if slightly faded wall murals. The main purpose of the Mondop is that it houses a bronze Holy Relic.

The long awaited boat racing festival is usually held after the homage-paying rites to the province’s principal Buddha statue during September of each year and takes place on the Nan River in front of Wat Tha Luang. The entire area comes alive during the boat races, when teams of up to 50 men compete to be the first to row their enormous boat to the finish line. The festival is celebrated with displays of traditional singing and dancing and there is much merry making.